Preliminary lease pact for children's museum

September 21, 2005

OTSEGO COUNTY - "The Northern Michigan Children's Museum is a lot closer to becoming a reality," stated Museum Director Jim Berigan following his meeting last week with Otsego County Attorney Kyle Legel, Administrator Denise Koning and Paul Beachnau, chairman of the board of commissioners.

"We hammered out the details to a lease agreement between the county and the (museum)," Berigan stated. "Now we have a plan to present to the board at (its) Sept. 27, meeting and by then the deed transfer between the county and state should also be completed."

While awaiting the commissioners' decision on the lease agreement, Berigan noted he hasn't been sitting around, but has been actively pursuing funding for the project. "As I have said, once we sign the lease with the county, we gain credibility as an organization with three acres in downtown Gaylord and the blessing of both the county and city," he offered. Berigan believes community contributions and large scale grants will look favorably on the lease when considering funding.

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Though the proposed design of the museum is set, Berigan has been meeting with consultants from Integrity Construction to discuss cost of building before letting the project for bids. "Once the agreement is approved, I will be approaching local businesses for contributions of work and materials needed for the building," stated Berigan, who hopes to keep building costs at a minimum. "We'd like to make sure our exhibits are top-notch."